Where are all the best marketing leaders? In the consumer product goods (CPG) industry, a 2016 study found.

Marketers who reached executive or C-suite level positions were most likely to have come from the CPG industry, according to the survey that gathered data from executive recruiters at 19 different firms (including boutique, mid-sized, and large recruiting firms) who have placed more than 2,600 C-level marketing leaders during their careers. The findings indicated that Procter & Gamble, Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Unilever, and General Mills were leaders in developing successful top talent in marketing. So if you’re looking to begin a career in marketing, it may be in your best interest to start by taking a job in the CPG world.

However, finding that perfect role can often be easier said than done. Unless that is, you know exactly what brands are looking for. We’ve put together a cheat sheet, providing answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about marketing jobs and marketing strategies in CPG.

What are CPG brands looking for in marketing?
The CPG market is a crowded one. In the past, the marketing strategies have primarily focused on price competition. These days, especially with more and more people shopping online, the marketing strategy has shifted to focus on omnichannel communications. Companies want to be able to sell their product in a store, on social media, through an app or a catalog, and via the web, all while allowing their customers to have a seamless, integrated, and consistent experience.

Brands are also looking for ways to get closer to consumers and interact directly with those buying their products. They’re looking for innovative ways to open their channels of communication with consumers in order to collect feedback and hear suggestions about ways to improve their existing products or ideas for new innovations.

What is the most requested marketing job right now?
How do brands know who their consumers are? Or that their omnichannel communications are reaching enough people? Data analysis. Most companies collect their own data on their customers, and many will also buy data from other companies who collect it on things like consumer behaviors, internet usage, etc.

This raw data needs to be read and transformed into workable information in order to be useful for a CPG brand. Forbes polled 16 top-level executives, asking them which role they were most eager to fill, and the number one answer was a Data Scientist or Data Analyst. Having an employee in the marketing team who can turn this data from a seemingly random string of numbers into dollar signs and targets is an invaluable asset. It can be the key when it comes to deciding between a successful campaign or an unsuccessful one.

What skills are most in-demand?
In order to set yourself apart from the pack when it comes to looking for marketing jobs, there are a handful of skills you should be looking to hone. The first is data mining. Having even limited experience unearthing, cross-referencing, leveraging, and translating data will be a huge plus when it comes to landing a position.

But data isn’t the only skill set companies are looking for. Many marketing jobs require that the candidate have excellent writing and storytelling skills. Content creation is a huge part of any marketing strategy, and the bar is being set higher and higher each year, meaning brands always need to be creating quality content.

Finally, there are plenty of marketing jobs that are looking for skills like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to ensure that their content is being seen; web and app design as digital visuals are becoming increasingly important to brands; and programming.

Think you have what it takes to land a CPG marketing job? Visit our job board today to begin your search or speak to one of our Executive Recruiters.